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How Socialism Fails in Theory
American Thinker ^ | Auguste Meyrat

Posted on 03/05/2019 2:54:31 AM PST by RoosterRedux

Democratic socialists, like Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders, claim to believe in what socialism promises — equality, social benefits, a compassionate state — and not in what it actually does, like impoverish and enslave the nations that adopt it. If anyone asks them how they plan to pay for these public goods, they never answer, but they claim the moral high ground, stating that they at least care about the poor and the environment and have started an important national conversation.

The label of "socialist" has long been the easiest way to virtue-signal — hence its popularity among college students. Whereas in the past, people would flaunt their Christian charity, in today's secular culture, people flaunt their socialist politics — and the latter is much easier because it does not even require giving anything except repeating slogans like "health care for all!," "universal daycare!," or "down with the 1%!"

...

According to John Locke's foundational work The Second Treatise of Government, property is "whatsoever ... [a man] removes out of the state that Nature hath provided and left it in, he hath mixed his labor with, and joined to it something that is his own." Whatever a person gains through work or innovation makes that his property. True, he can do whatever he wants with his property, like exchange it or give it away, but no one is entitled to his property except himself.

By contrast, socialism characterizes property as an indifferent good that everyone owns in common. Seizing someone's property, then, is not technically immoral. Ownership of property is based on need, which everyone has in equal capacity, not on productivity or work, which is naturally unequal.

(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: neighborliness
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1 posted on 03/05/2019 2:54:31 AM PST by RoosterRedux
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To: RoosterRedux

L8r


2 posted on 03/05/2019 2:58:27 AM PST by preacher ( Journalism no longer reports news, they use news to shape our society.)
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To: All
We are lucky, in a way, that the purveyors of socialism in our current world are Bernie and AOC.

They are both easy targets because they are caricatures of themselves with their outrageous behavior and wild-eyed passion.

We can thank them because they give us a good reason and opportunity to stand up and defend the "free market" system in which each citizen truly owns the fruits of his labor and is an entrepreneur, collectively no less important than Jeff Bezos or Bill Gates, in a system in which the only limits to his potential are his own ingenuity and sweat.

3 posted on 03/05/2019 3:05:00 AM PST by RoosterRedux
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To: All
Speaking of caricatures...


4 posted on 03/05/2019 3:10:24 AM PST by RoosterRedux
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To: RoosterRedux

Socialism requires a reallocation of resources to the priorities of those in charge. This results in scarcity of capital and inflation on prices of goods and services. Inflation causes further reallocation of private capital, which leads to scarcity of goods not allocated by private capital. Scarcity of goods exacerbates the cycle of inflation and this is where the poorest get slammed the hardest, as they are forced to spend what they have left on basic goods. The demand for basic goods is a feedback loop to inflation which leads to more scarcity of goods, until finally the economy collapses.

Capitalism may not be perfect in every way, but its basic premise is that where there is demand there will come supply. The more demand the higher the price which encourages greater production and lower prices. Someone call Oregon and let them know, if they want more low cost rental housing they should cut regulation and red tape to allow more housing units to be built. Often where capitalism fails to meet the needs of society is due to intervention and regulation by government. Oregon makes it difficult to build housing, which raises the cost, and makes rental prices higher due to lack of supply. Regulating the price of rentals leads to fewer rentals and fewer housing units being built... thus the negative feedback loop and ultimately Oregon will have even fewer housing units for its residents at prices people can afford.

This is very simple to explain and I hope the internet goes hog wild explaining this to people in 2020. They left may not “get it” at first, but at least they will have been warned. Ultimately they will see they were wrong.


5 posted on 03/05/2019 3:12:00 AM PST by monkeyshine
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To: RoosterRedux
Socialists talk about how capitalism is bad, how it makes people greedy, how it creates economic inequality, etc. But what do they offer as a solution?

A small group of intellectuals controlling all the resources, deciding what you can own, what you can sell, what you can buy, and for how much.

It doesn't take a genius to identify the flaws. First, there is only one source of goods: that small group of intellectuals. It's a monopoly. There is no competition to drive costs lower while bettering the quality of goods. You either buy what they offer for whatever price they offer, or you starve.

Secondly, Where is the guarantee that this small group will follow the benevolent ideals of socialism? They own all the resources, they can do whatever they want. No one can stop them.

Thirdly, it's against human nature. We are hunter gatherers by nature. We instinctively keep what we own. We will have to evolve into something like bees or ants in order to passively give up our belongings willingly to some sort of hive queen. That would take millions of years at least.
6 posted on 03/05/2019 3:15:30 AM PST by Telepathic Intruder
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Here's another good one...


7 posted on 03/05/2019 3:17:46 AM PST by RoosterRedux
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To: Telepathic Intruder
It doesn't take a genius to identify the flaws.

Socialism is like any other drug. The decision to take it or not is not based in logic or rational thought.

It is based on emotion.

And like every other recreational drug, it's promised initial results hide its true nature.

Also like every other recreational drug, it can be traced back to a common benefactor...


8 posted on 03/05/2019 3:25:38 AM PST by RoosterRedux
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To: monkeyshine
You eloquently say:
Socialism requires a reallocation of resources to the priorities of those in charge. This results in scarcity of capital and inflation on prices of goods and services. Inflation causes further reallocation of private capital, which leads to scarcity of goods not allocated by private capital. Scarcity of goods exacerbates the cycle of inflation and this is where the poorest get slammed the hardest, as they are forced to spend what they have left on basic goods. The demand for basic goods is a feedback loop to inflation which leads to more scarcity of goods, until finally the economy collapses.
What college kids hear:
Socialism--blah, blah, blah--reallocation of resources--blah, blah, blah--Scarcity--blah, blah, blah--capital--blah, blah, blah--private capital--blah, blah, blah--cycle of inflation--blah, blah, blah--basic goods--blah, blah, blah--feedback loop--blah, blah, blah--.

9 posted on 03/05/2019 3:41:00 AM PST by RoosterRedux
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To: RoosterRedux

All they need is the loot - up front. They’ll work out the details later.


10 posted on 03/05/2019 3:49:50 AM PST by Libloather (Trivial Pursuit question - name the first female to lose TWO presidential elections!)
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To: RoosterRedux

Auguste Meyrat. Boy, this guy is a good writer.

I hope this article gets wide distribution. It is a cogent, concise criticism of socialism. That said. I think we should call self proclaimed communists.

In the article, the author said that socialists need a docile population that submits quietly to their program. Although, it is startling how weak the opposition to Chavez was in Venezuela, he did have to impose a Cuban styled police state to finally suppress opposition. Socialism needs a totalitarian state to retain power. No one will voluntarily starve to death. Socialism is just a front for a communist totalitarian government. This fact should be emphasized.


11 posted on 03/05/2019 3:50:58 AM PST by DeplorablePaul
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To: DeplorablePaul
Venezuela was ripe for socialism from the get-go. Believers in socialism were well aware of the problems it (socialism) had with financial success over the long-term, but Venezuela's great oil resources would surely cure that problem.

And true believers like the Cubans and Jesuit-indoctrinated communists all over South America just couldn't wait to get their hands on all that oil.

At last, socialism would have its day in the sun.

Or not.

12 posted on 03/05/2019 4:02:02 AM PST by RoosterRedux
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To: RoosterRedux

I know there are a lot of Glen Beck haters here and I myself gave up on him early in the election. Despite that, everyone in America should watch his speech at CPAC this year. He nails the socialism/free market dichotomy like no one else in his old Fox news style. Watch the video before anyone flames me and after you see it go ahead and flame if you must. It’s a brilliant speech that makes the “drug” connection as you did.


13 posted on 03/05/2019 4:04:52 AM PST by VTenigma (The Democrat party is the party of the mathematically challenged)
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To: RoosterRedux
Leftism is the left side of the bell curve trying to enslave the right.


14 posted on 03/05/2019 4:10:56 AM PST by Reeses (A journey of a thousand miles begins with a government pat down.)
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To: RoosterRedux

Ben Garrison is something else.


15 posted on 03/05/2019 4:20:41 AM PST by poconopundit
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To: RoosterRedux

A guy with nothing is happy to share it.


16 posted on 03/05/2019 4:43:27 AM PST by wastoute (Government cannot redistribute wealth. Government can only redistribute poverty.)
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To: RoosterRedux

She’s going to jail, she’s going to jaaaiiil..

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3732212/posts


17 posted on 03/05/2019 4:48:22 AM PST by GrandJediMasterYoda (As long as Hillary walks free, equal justice under the law will never exist in the USA)
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To: RoosterRedux

You mean not just in practice?


18 posted on 03/05/2019 4:49:46 AM PST by NonValueAdded (#DeplorableMe #BitterClinger #HillNO! #cishet #MyPresident #MAGA #Winning #covfefe #BuildIt)
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To: RoosterRedux
If you constantly rob Peter to pay Paul, they will both ask "Why bother working?".

19 posted on 03/05/2019 4:57:46 AM PST by BitWielder1 (I'd rather have Unequal Wealth than Equal Poverty.)
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To: RoosterRedux
Milton Friedman vs Phil Donohue on socialism is still the best 2 minutes on the topic:

Friedman vs Donohue

"And tell me, just where in the world are you going to find these angels to organize society for us? I don't even trust you to do that."

20 posted on 03/05/2019 6:21:08 AM PST by Paco
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